Odds and Ends — 21 December 2024

in #oddsandends4 days ago


IMG_5706.jpeg

Mick Herron has, so far, published eight novels in his Slough House series. I’ve read them all. Looking forward to the ninth, but in the meantime, I’ve just started his collection of related novellas. If you have an Apple TV+ subscription, the first four books have been adapted (with some changes) as Slow Horses, starring Gary Oldman. Highly recommended. If you don’t have a subscription, they might be available from your library on DVD.

Cryptocurrency, Investing, Money, Economy, Business, and Debt:

United States of Bitcoin? These States Are Considering BTC Reserves

Tether pours $775M into video-sharing platform Rumble

Coronavirus News, Analysis, and Opinion:

Louisiana forbids public health workers from promoting COVID, flu and mpox shots

DenyDefendDepose:

Politics:

Trump Wanted Shutdown to Happen on Biden’s Watch

President-elect Donald Trump, who derailed a bipartisan spending deal in Congress, tried on Friday to escape responsibility for the consequences, saying it would be better to let the government shut down under President Biden’s watch than to allow a politically damaging stalemate once he takes office next month.

Elon Musk Shook Up U.S. Politics. Will the U.K. Be Next?

Elon Musk has already helped propel Donald Trump into the White House. Now he might have his sights on a political shake-up at another iconic address: 10 Downing Street.
There is growing alarm among Britain’s political establishment that Musk, who has been sharply critical of Prime Minister Keir Starmer, may radically alter the U.K.’s electoral landscape by donating millions of dollars to Reform UK, a populist upstart party. Britain’s government says it wants to change the law to prevent foreigners from making outsize political donations.

Judges Are Increasingly Alarmed

In extraordinary but little-watched court proceedings since Election Day, judges appointed by presidents of both parties have emphasized the need for accountability for the people who stormed the Capitol in an attempt to derail the certification of Joe Biden’s 2020 victory.
These judges have sounded dire warnings about the fate of the country if the lessons of the 2020 election go unlearned, and they are bluntly bracing for a turbulent start to the second Trump presidency…
The judges’ clarion calls are becoming markedly more frequent and pointed as Trump’s inauguration nears.


IMG_1972.jpeg

Things Aren’t Looking Great for Global Democracy. But Autocrats Are Suffering Too.

Trump threatens tariffs if EU doesn’t buy more oil, gas

Serendipity:

A Mysterious Health Wave Is Breaking Out Across the U.S.

America is suddenly getting healthier. No one knows why.